Tumbler



y 1945- J. P. JORGENSON ET AL 2,380,652

TUMBLER Filed Aug. 15, 1945 Patented July 3.1, 1945 TUMBLEB John P. Jorg'enson, Wilmette, and Allred G. Kllng,

Chicago, Ill,

assignors to Kling Bros.

Engineering Works, Chicago. 11L. a corporation of lilinois Application August 13, 1948, Serial No. 498,518

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tumblers and more particularly to tumblers adapted for use in the laundry or dry cleaning industry.

In the usual form of tumbler there is a garment receiving cylinder having a foraminous periphery rotatable in an outer casing. In addition, the outer casing is provided with relatively complicated means for preheating air and lor introducing said air into the rotatable cylinder. Suction hoods and conduits are also provided to remove the moisture laden air from the perlorations in the periphery of the cylinder as the latter rotates. This type of construction utilizes a substantial amount of material and is expensive to manufacture and assemble. Furthermore, the heated air tends to travel to the periphery of the cylinder before it has extracted a maximum amount 0! moisture from the garments. As a result the drying operation is rendered relatively slow and inemcient.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a tumbler'in which no outer shell or casing for the rotatable cylinder is necessary, and wherein a novel and single arrangement is utilized for causing eilective circulation of heated air through the cylinder while the latter rotates.

the heated air being so directed as to cause it to efiiciently act upon the garments within the cylinder to extract the maximum amount of moisture therefrom.

A lurther object of the invention is to provide a tumbler having a solid, unperlorated peripheral wall, and havin an end or garment receiving I opening. together with means for causing movement of heated air from one end of the cylinder to the other. g

A further object 0! the invention is to provide a construction as above described wherein the door ior closing the garment receiving opening is in the form oi a heater through which air may be drawn to enter the cylinder and act on the garments therein, there being a suction conduit in communication with the opposite end of the cylinder.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a tumbler which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, strong and durable, and which is well adapted for thepurpose described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists oi the improved tumbler and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims and all equivalents thereof. In the accmpanying drawing illustrating one complete embodiment of the prelerred form of the invention in which the same relerenoe numerals designate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. l is a front elevational view or the improved tumbler, parts being broken away and shown in section and the dot-and-dash line-s indicating the heater door swung to a position to expose the garment receiving opening: and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken axially through the cylinder, the heater door. however, being shown in lull except for the broken away casing portions.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the numeral 8 designates a suitable-supporting frame having base members I and supp rting less it. Mounted on the base are upstanding bearing members ii on one side and ii on the other side. Ashaft It is iournaledinthe bearing members ii and a shaft I4 is iournaled in the bearing members ii. The shalt it has rigidly mounted thereon drum supporting rollers II, and similar rollers it are rigidly mounted on the shalt it. a In the illustrated exemplidcation an electric motor II has its drive shaft ll provided with a pinion gear it which engages a pinion gear it on a horizontal shaft ii. The horizontal shaft Ii is adapted to drive. through a worm and wormwheel connection, the shaft it. The iorward end of the shaft it is equiwed with a rigidly mounted sprocket wheel I: which is connected by an endless chain 2! with a sprocket wheel 24 rigidly mounted on the forward end 0! the other shalt ll. Thus operation oi the motor il in a desired direction causes simultaneous rotation of the two sets oi the drum supporting rollers II and it. It is apparent, however, that in lieu ol the driving arrangement shown the rollers could be driven by any conventional means such as a V-belt. or a belt line shalt drive. without the necessity of a worm or wormwheel reduction. Or, suitable methods could be employed for drivingthetumbierordrumfl The tumbler cylinder or forrotaticnonahorisontalaxis. Thiscyiinder is equipped with external peripheral tracks ll andissupportedforrotationonthe rollers it and II. 'iheroliersengagewithin thetrackstocause rotation of the cylinder.

The peripheral wall 21 oi the cylinder is unperforstedandthefront endwallll isprovidedwith openin II. ortherimlloftheopenlngmaybelormedwith an outwardly projecting annular strip it. This stripisilexibiesndisadaptedtomakewiping oonteetwiththeinnersideolthenon-rotatlhll u .doortlwhentheeylinderisrotated. Attheopit and it.

'Iheouterside 2 seed-see posits end or the cylinder isa wall 38 formed with a central opening it. The cylinder is also provided on its inner periphery with a plurality of garment lifting ribs S5. These ribs may be V-shaped in cross-section, as illustrated in Fig. l. The cylinder 25, inwardly of the wall 38, has a perforated wall or sheet 50 which permits the passage of air from the tumbler through the exhaust fan, but serves to prevent clothes, garments,v or material being dried within the drum from being sucked out through the exhaust fan, later to be described.

Supported on a bracket 38 which extends angularly upwardly from the base at the rear end of the cylinder is the housing 31 for a suction fan 38. This fan may be driven by an electric motor 39. A tubular conduit is which communicates with the interior of the fan housing ll projects into the opening 84 at the end of the rotatable cylinder. The cylinder is, therefore, rotatable around the conduit portion Ill. Another conduit ll extends from the fan housing I! to a suitable point of discharge.

The door 32 is in reality a unit heater and includes tubes 42 to which a heating fluid, such as hot water or steam. may travel. The tubes 42 support horizontal fins 43 or any suitable heat radiating means. The heater is open on both sides so that when the heater is in the position of Fig. 2, air from the outside may travel to the heater and to the cylinder, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2.

The heater door 32 is suitably mounted on the base so as to be swingable into and out of registration with the garment receiving opening II. It is preferred to support the heater door on a tubular member having a vertical portion .a horizontal portion ll and a vertical pivot portion It. The pivot portion 40 is suitably supported in a bearing 4! so that the door may be swung from the full line closed position of Fig. 1

' to the dot-and-dash line open position. A flexible inlet conduit 48 may deliver heating fluid to the tubes 42 of the heater and another flexible conduit may serve as a return for the heating fluid. These conduits preferably extend through the tubular supporting member for the heater as shown in Fig. 1. If desired, the conduits ll and llmay be rigid pipes and there maybe a swivel joint adjacent the bearing 41 so that heating fluid may be delivered to the pipes without interfering with the. pivotal movement of the door support. v

In use of the device. garments to be dried are loaded into the receiving opening I! when the heater door is in the dot-and-dssb line position of Fig.'1..,.'I'l'1ese may .be garments which have been dry-"cleaned or which have been laundered. The heater door is then swung on the pivot II to the full line closed position and the electric motor I! is started. This will cause rotation of the tumbler cylinder 3|. It is preferred to have the speed 0! rotation in the neighborhood of '38 R. P, M. As the cylinder rotates the ribs I! will carry the garments upwardly until gravity causes the garments to fall back to the bottom of the cylinder. At the some time. with the suction fan II in operation,- air from the exterior will be pulled through the heater to be heated by the tubes II and fins 0. This air will travel end of said cylinder,

' the cylinder to said heater is in registration with said garment ro-' are acted upon by the rotating cyl nder. A maximum amount of moisture will extract-ed from the garments bei'ore the heated air is exhausted. In constructions wherein the heated air is discharged through peripheral holes, the air tends to travel to the periphery of the cylinder before it has eflectively contacted all portions of all of the garments in the cylinder. The present arrangement. due to the eillciency of the drying action, therefore speeds up the drying operation.

It is apparent that by utilizing a heater for a door and by supporting the exhaust fan at the opposite end of the cylinder that a very simple construction has been provided. The usual outer casing which encloses the cylinder, heater and exhaust hoods. in the usual type of dryer, is unnecessary in the structure of thepresent invention. As a result the expense of manufacture is materially reduced. Notwithstanding this fact, the tumbler is highly efllcient as before explained. Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What we claim is:

1. A tumbler comprising a supporting base, a cylinder having an imperforate periphery rotatable on said base on a horizontal axis and having a garment receiving opening at one end concentrio with the cylinder, a heater having air passageways extending therethrough, means for movably supporting said heater on said base for movement into and out of closing registration with said garment receiving opening, an exhaust conduit communicating axially with the opposite means providing for rotation of the cylinder on the axis of said heater and exhaust conduit while the latter remain stationary. and means for causing movement of air from the exterior through said heater and axially through exhaust conduit when the ceiving opening.

2. A tumbler comprising a supporting base, a cylinder rotatable on said base on a horizontal axis and having a garment receiving opening at one end, a unit heater having spaced heat exporting said heater for movement into and out 'end connected to and supporting said heater so 'for causing movement motion with opening with the heat exchange tubes in front of said p ning. conduits within said tubular member for conducting said heat exchange tubes of the heater. and means of air from the exterior through said heater and into the cylinder to act on garments therein when the heater is in registration with said garment receiving. opening.

3. A tumbler comprising a supporting base. a cylinder rotatable on said base on a horizontal axis and having a garment receiving opening at one end. a unit heater having spaced heat exchange tubes and ing through the beater past said tubes. and a axis'of the cylinder said tube having its other but the latter a withthetubular swingable in a horizontal plane member into and out of closing the garment receiving opening ofthocylinderwitb tbobeatcxchangotubcsin heating fluid to and from I having sir passageways cxtendfront of said opening, conduits within said tubular member for conducting a heating fluid to and from said heat exchange tubes of the heater and means for causing movement of air from the exterior through said heater and into the cylinder to act on garments therein when the heater is in registration with said garment receiving openand having an air outlet opening at the opposite end, said openings being concentric with the cylinder, a heater having air passageways extending therethrough and forming a door for closing said garment receiving opening, an exhaust conduit supported independently of said cylinder and cooperable with said air outlet opening of the cylinder so that the cylinder is rotatable around said exhaust conduit, and an exhaust fan within said exhaust conduit for causing movement of air in substantially straight lines from the exterior 4. A tumbler comprising a rotatable cylinder having a garment receiving opening at one end through said heater and longitudinally through the cylinder to said exhaust conduit.

5. A tumbler comprising a rotatable cylinder having a garment receiving opening at one end and having an air outlet opening at the opposite end, said openings being concentric with the cylinder, a heater having air passageways extending I therethrough and forming a door for closing said garment receiving opening, means for supporting said door against rotation while the cylinder rotates, an exhaust conduit supported independently of said cylinder and cooperable with said air outlet opening of the cylinder so that the cylinder is rotatable around said exhaust conduit, and an exhaust fan within said exhaust conduit for causing movement of air in substantially straight lines from the exterior through said heater and longitudinally through the cylinder to said exhaust conduit.

6. A tumbler comprising a rotatable cylinder having a garment receiving opening at one end and having an air outlet opening at the opposite end, said openings being concentric with the cylinder and said cylinder having an unperforated peripheral wall, a heater having air passageways extending therethrough and forming a door for closing said garment receiving opening, an exhaust conduit supported independently of said cyhnder and cooperable with said air outlet openmg of the cylinder so that the cylinder is rotatable around said exhaust conduit, and an exhaust fan within said exhaust conduit for causing movement of air in substantially straight lines from the exterior through said heater and longitudinally through the cylinder to said exhaust conduit.

'7. A tumbler comprising a rotatable cylinder having a garment receiving opening at one end and having an air outlet opening at the opposite end, said openings being concentric with the cylinder, a perforated partition within the cylinder adjacent to and in spaced relation from the end having the air outlet opening to define an auxiliary chamber end, a heater having air passageways extendin garment receiving opening, an exhaust conduit supported independently of the cylinder and cooperable with said air outlet opening so that the cylinder is rotatable around said exhaust conduit, and means for causing movement of air in substantially straight lines from the exterior through said heater and longitudinally through the cylinder and perforated partition to said exhaust conduit.

8. A tumbler comprisingv a supporting base, a cylinder rotatable on said base on a horizontal axis and having a garment receiving. opening at one end and an air outlet opening at the opposite end, said openings being concentric with the cylinder, a unit heater having spaced heat exchange tubes and having air passageways extending through the heater past said tubes, a tubular member swingable on said base and supporting said heater for movement into and out of closing registration with said garment receiving opening with the heat exchange tubes in front of said opening, conduits within said tubular member for conducting heating fluid to and from the heat exchange tubes of said heater, an exhaust conduit supported independently of the cylinder and cooperable with said air outlet opening so that the' between the partition and said- 

